Compress



(No Model.)

B. LBURTON/ GOMPRBSS.

Pacehted-Jan. 12, 1897 3 Do l) I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDW'IN L. BURTON, OF MCKINNEY, TEXAS.

COMPRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,103, dated January12, 1897.

Application filed-December 28, 1895- Renewed November 16, 1896. SerialNo. 612,386. (No model.)

- I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable Others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in surgical instruments, and moreespecially to that class of surgical instruments which are used forstopping the flow of blood during an amputation or other similaroperation.

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same lettersthroughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my instrument, the needle being shown infull lines in the approximate position it will occupy when in use, andbeing shown in dotted lines as straight, which form it will assume whennot in use. Fig. 2'is a top plan View of instrument as shown in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the needle used with my instrument. Fig.t is a similar view to Fig. l of a slightly-modified form of instrument.Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a slightlymodified form of needle,and Fig. 6 is adet-ail View of the gripping device for engaging andholding the end of the needle, as seen from the right in Figs. 1 and 4.

A represents the body or frame of the instrument, which is made of anysuitable material, preferably of metal, and to which the needle B ispivoted, as at b. This needle is preferably made of the best steel, andis pro vided at its free end with a sharp fine point I) to enable thesame to be easily inserted into the flesh of the limb or other partbeing operated upon by the surgeon. This needle is normally straight,and is bent upward at its point and clamped in the position shown infull lines in Figs. 1 and 4 after being inserted into the flesh, as willbe hereinafter more fully described.

0 represents the device for gripping and holding the end of the needlewhen in use. This gripping device is attached to the end of the body orframe A by means of a screw 0 or the like passing through the opening 0in the said gripping device. The jaws O O of coming slightly bent.

this device, provided on their inner faces with teeth or catches c, areadapted to be opened and closed by means of the arms 0 and C and thusgrip the point of the needle and hold the same. The arm 0 is in the formof a segmental rack, as shown in Fig. 6, and is normally pressed awayfrom the arm C by means of a spring 0 thus tending to hold the said armsapart and the jaws 0 open. (2 is pivotally attached to the arm 0 andincloses the end of the arm 0 and may be moved up or down thereon torelease or grip the needle.

D represents a lever-arm which is pivoted at a to thebody or frame ofthe instrument. This lever-arm is flattened and broadened at its freeend D to form a better thumb-rest for depressing the lever. The saidlever is provided with an opening D therethrough, which fits over acurved arm A, provided with ratchet-teeth a on its convex side, asshown, and may be moved up and down over said arm. A thumb-catch D ispivoted, as at cl, to the lever-arm D, and is adapted to engage theratchet-teeth a on the arm A. This thumb-catch is normally held inengagement with one of said teeth by means of the spring (1 but may bedisengaged by a simple pressure of the thumb, as will be obvious.

E represents a stem which is pivoted at one end, as at (l, to thelever-arm D and works in an opening or guideway A in the frame A. Theopposite end of this stem E is pivotally attached, as at d to the shoeor block F, which should preferably be covered or padded with some softmaterial to form a cushion, so as to prevent the bruising of the fleshwhen in use.

The body A is provided with an opening A to admit the finger of theoperator and thus form a grip, while the thumb presses down on the plateD, hereinbefore described.

The operation of my device is as follows: The point of the needle 13,which is normally straight, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4,is inserted into the flesh at one side of the blood-vessel ,to beclosed, and is pushed through beneath the blood-vessel until the pointcomes out on the opposite side. The free end of the needle is thencaught between the jaws C of the gripping device 0, where it is clampedand held firmly, the needle becushioned block F is in its raisedposition.

A link In the meantime the The needle having been inserted and clamped,the operator then inserts a finger into the opening A of the frame A,and with his thumb presses down upon the thumb-plate D on the end of thelever-arm D. This pressure of the thumb will bear the lever-arm Ddownward, and the stem E, carrying the cushioned block F, will press thesaid cushioned block down upon the flesh above the blood-vessel, and byclosing the same will prevent the flow of blood during the operation.

A guard-cap b (shown in dotted lines) may be provided to fit over thepoint of the needle when the instrument is in use and prevent theaccidental injury of the operator. This cap should be provided with ashort chain by which itis attached to the body or frame A of theinstrument, as shown in Fig. 1.

My instrument may be made, either in whole or in part, of any suitablematerial desired, but should preferably be of metal throughout, exceptfor the covering of the pressure-block F, which should beChamois-leather or some similar soft material.

The frame or body of the instrument may be made eitherstraight orarched, as desired, and the size of the instrument may be varied to meetrequirements.

In Fig. 5 is shown a needle having a spearpoint. I may use this form ofneedle, if desired, and it is preferable where a great amount ofpressure is necessary to close the blood-vessel, in order that the pointof the needle may be more firmly held by the gripping device.

Many modifications of my device might be made which could be usedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore donot wish to limit. myself to the exact details described herein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. I11 a surgicalinstrument of the character described, the combinationwith a body or frame, of a resilient needle hinged to one end of saidframe; a pair of pivoted jaws mounted upon the opposite end of saidframe for engaging and holding the pointed end of said needle; a blockor shoe, and means mounted on said frame for depressing said block orshoe, substantially as described.

2. In a surgical instrument of the character described, the combinationwith a body or frame, of a resilient needle hinged to one end of saidframe; a pair of toothed jaws, arms for opening and closing said jaws,and means for holding said jaws closed, mounted upon the opposite end ofsaid frame for engaging and holding the pointed end of said needle; ablock or shoe, and means mounted on said frame for depressing said blockor shoe, substantially as described.

In a surgical instrument of the character described, the combinationwith a body or frame, of a resilient needle hinged to one end of saidframe; a pair of pivoted jaws mounted upon the opposite end of saidframe for engaging and holding the pointed end of said needle; a blockor shoe; a lever-arm pivoted upon said frame and connected to said blockfor depressing the same, substantially as described.

4. In a surgical instrument of the character described, the combinationwith a body or frame, of a resilient needle hinged to one end of saidframe; a pair of toothed jaws pivoted at the opposite end of said framefor engaging and holding the pointed end of said needle; a block; a stempivoted to said block; a lever pivoted to said stem and also pivoted tosaid frame, for depressing said bloclgsubstantially as described.

5. In a surgical instrument of the character described, the combinationwith a body or frame, of a resilient needle hinged to one end of saidframe; a clamping device at the opposite end of said frame forengagingand holding the pointed end of said needle; a block; a stempivoted to said block; a lever pivoted to said stem and also pivoted tosaid frame, for depressing said block; a curved arm on said frameprovided with ratchet-teeth on one side thereof, and a thumb-catch 011said lever adapted to engage said ratchet-teeth and thus hold said leverdown, substantially as described.

6. In a surgical instrument of the character described, the combinationwith a body or frame, of a resilient needle hinged to one end of saidframe; a clamping device at the opposite end of said frame for engagingand holding the pointed end of said needle; a block; a stem pivoted tosaid block; a lever pivoted to said stem and also pivoted to said frame,for depressing said block; a curved arm on said frame provided withratchet-teeth 011 one side thereof, and a thumb-catch on said leveradapted to engage said ratchet-teeth and hold said lever down; and afingergrip in said frame, substantially as described.

7. In a surgical instrument of the character described, the combinationwith a body or frame, of a resilient needle hinged to one end of saidframe; a pair of toothed jaws, arms for opening and closing the same,and means for holding said jaws closed, mounted upon the opposite end ofsaid frame for engaging and holding the pointed end of said needle; ablock; a stem pivoted to said block and working in a guideway in saidframe; a lever pivoted to said stem and also pivoted to said frame, fordepressing said block; a curved arm on said frame provided withratchet-teeth on one side thereof, working in a guideway in said lever;and a thumb-catch on said lever adapted to engage said ratchet-teeth andhold said lever down, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWVIN L. BURTON.

Witnesses:

LEM OLDHAM, RUssELL DE ARMQND.

